On March 16th, on a whim — truly, it was a whim, not seriously planned, anticipated, or dreaded — I stopped eating chocolate in any form, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, etc.  I had wondered, what would it be like?  Well, now I know.  I think it might be like giving up meth or crack.  Seriously.

days without pirate attack

I won’t say I’ve given up sugar.  For me, the word candy is loaded and is where I needed to explore.  In our culture, candy is celebrated, approved, and encouraged.  The candy aisle in Walgreens is two-sided, full of everything from exotic 70% cacao bars, to boxes of Junior Mints, to bags of individually wrapped Dove milk chocolate, and everything in between.  As I think about the store, they carry more candy than any other section.  The over-the-counter meds take up only one side of an aisle! Looks like they know their market and stock accordingly.

I’m not saying that chocolate is evil. I still love it.  It’s just that I am feeling more and more like I am using it to assuage an emotional need.  I am pretty proud that I am noticing the feelings associated with the desire for candy and exploring them.  It’s not pride that I haven’t eaten any.  This restriction is a forty days in the desert looking for enlightenment.